Top Ten Ways to Stay Warm on a Ridiculously Cold Day

Yesterday was cold. I’ll agree with everyone who complained on Facebook, but it was basically as cold as it was in Korea for all of December/January and most of February in Korea. The only difference was, there was no wind chill here in MD, which actually made the cold bearable. I know how to deal with the cold now because I lived in Korea during their coldest winter in 50 years, last year. Since I now consider myself a winter pro, here are my tips and tricks to stay warm when it’s super duper cold old.

10. Go to the gym/workout at home (inside.) I actually did work out yesterday for the firs time in 2 months. I did a 15 minute on demand workout and it instantly warmed my body up. It was only a walking workout, but getting your heart rate up will warm you right up.

9. Drink some tea. My all time favorite tea is Starbucks Refresh. I had some yesterday for the first time in almost two years; it was heaven. By holding the cup, you are warming your hands up, and when you drink it, your insides get all warm and gooey. Plus, if you have a cold, the mint helps with that.

8. Don’t try to look cute and stay warm. It’s almost impossible to look cute and stay warm all at the same time. Who cares if you look cute? I’m sure everyone has the same purpose on a cold day; not to freeze their butts off! Layer it up. You probably have some extra LBs from the holidays anyways, a few layers won’t matter. I wish I could tell my 20-year-old self this tip, it would have saved me some very cold nights out. Coat? Who needs a coat? Everyone, when it’s below freezing out.

7. Wear leggings under your jeans. This goes along with layers, but I think it’s the most important layer. Most of the time, at least for me, my legs and face are cold when I go outside. When I wear leggings under my jeans, and tuck them into my socks, my legs stay much warmer. Sure it’s a little uncomfortable, but take out those fat jeans you have on the shelf for a rainy day, they’ll help with the extra bulge.

6. Eat some hot/spicy soup. Sure, everyone says eat some hot soup when it’s cold, and while most foods are hot, hot AND spicy soup is ideal. Extra hot soup with some added spice keeps you warm for quite a long time. Even if you don’t like spicy food all too much, just do it. The spice will bring heat to your face almost immediately. (Be careful not to burn your tongue on the soup!) Here is a recipe for Jim’s favorite Korean soup, yukaejong.

5. Take a warm bath/shower. I used to take baths all the time at night in Korea before bed to stay warm. Yes, we had heat, and yes we used it, but it kind of sucked. It came through the floors and unless you were sitting on the floor, which most Koreans do, it never really reaches your upper body. A bath would warm me up for bed and then I would snuggle into my covers and stay warm for most of the night.

4. Bake something in the oven. Since you already have your fat jeans on, bake something unhealthy and yummy in the oven. The oven will make your house warmer and the warm bake goods will make your tummy warmer. It’s a win, win.

3. Wear fuzzy socks.Fuzzy socks are the best. You can wear them inside the house and outside of the house. In Korea, most of us wore fuzzy socks as regular socks all winter long, even the guys. They’re so much warmer than regular socks and when you have to take your shoes off inside every house you go in, you don’t want your feet to get cold. Cold feet = cold body.

2. Drink wine. Not that I can do this year (lame,) but drinking wine also warms your body up. Have some with dinner (have some with lunch) just have some to stay warm, say it’s what the doctor ordered. Beer works too, but wine seems so much classier, don’t you think?

1. Stay inside! If you don’t have to go outside, then don’t. Trust me, when they say it’s 0 degrees out, then it is. You don’t have to go outside to see for yourself if you don’t have to. Stay inside, under a blanket, and cuddle with someone you love. I would have hibernated for most of the winter last year if it wasn’t for my dog. I probably would have only gone out to get food, not even kidding, if Toby didn’t have to relieve himself outside.

Bonus tip: If you have to go outside, wear a heavy ski coat. I own one to just wear when it’s this cold, and I don’t even ski (nor have I ever.) Ski gear is where it’s at when it comes to warmth. I got mine at Kohls on Black Friday two years ago; best purchase ever. Mine is this brand and very similar to this jacket.